Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 1
तारकवधोत्तरं देवस्तुतिः पर्वतवरप्रदानं च / Devas’ Hymn after Tāraka’s Slaying and the Bestowal of Boons upon the Mountains
ब्रह्मोवाच । निहतं तारकं दृष्ट्वा देवा विष्णुपुरोगमाः । तुष्टुवुश्शांकरिं भक्त्या सर्वेऽन्ये मुदिताननाः
brahmovāca | nihataṃ tārakaṃ dṛṣṭvā devā viṣṇupurogamāḥ | tuṣṭuvuśśāṃkariṃ bhaktyā sarve'nye muditānanāḥ
Brahmā sprach: Als Tāraka erschlagen war, priesen die Götter—von Viṣṇu angeführt—Śāṃkarī, die göttliche Gefährtin und Śakti Śaṅkaras, in hingebungsvoller Bhakti; und alle anderen, mit freudestrahlenden Gesichtern, stimmten ebenfalls Hymnen an.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It shows that when adharma (Tāraka) is destroyed by divine will, the proper response is bhakti—praise of Shiva’s grace expressed through Śiva-Śakti (Śāṃkarī), acknowledging that protection and restoration of dharma come from the Lord’s power.
The Devas respond with stuti and devotion to the manifest divine (saguṇa)—here emphasized as Śiva together with Śāṃkarī. In Linga-worship too, devotees approach Shiva’s accessible form through praise, offerings, and remembrance of his compassionate power.
Stotra-japa and nāma-smaraṇa: reciting hymns to Shiva and Śakti with devotion. As a simple practice, one may chant the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and offer mental praise (stuti) in gratitude for protection from inner ‘asuric’ tendencies.